Part One: The Profession of Faith › Section Two of Part One: The Profession of the Christian Faith: The Creeds ›› CHAPTER 2: I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God ››› Article 5: “He Descended into Hell. On the Third Day He Rose Again” ›››› §1 Descent

› IN BRIEF

Questions and Answers

634. What is the meaning of Christ’s descent into hell? (CCC 632) The meaning of Christ’s descent into hell is that Jesus Christ:
1. died, like all men
2. joined all men in the realm of the dead.
635. What did Christ do while in the realm of the dead? (CCC 632) While in the realm of the dead Christ proclaimed the Gospel to the souls there.
636. Why is the place to which Christ descended called “hell”? (CCC 633) The place to which Christ descended is called “hell”, because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God.
Hell is called in Hebrew “Sheol” and in Greek “Hades”.
637. Who was in hell before Christ descended there? (CCC 633) Before Christ descended into hell all the dead were there, whether evil or righteous.
638. Was the lot of the righteous and of the evil in hell identical? (CCC 633) No, in hell the lot of both the righteous and of the evil was not identical:
1. the righteous were like the poor Lazarus in “Abraham’s bosom” (Lk 16) waiting to be freed
2. the evil were and still are in the hell of damnation from whence they will not be delivered.
639. Which souls did Christ deliver when He descended into hell? (CCC 633) When He descended into hell Christ delivered the holy souls of the just who in the bosom of Abraham awaited their Saviour.
640. Why did Christ descend into hell? (CCC 633) Christ descended into hell to free the souls of the just who had died before Him.
Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation.
641. Where does the Bible state that the Gospel was preached even to the dead? (CCC 634) In 1 Pet 4 the Bible states that the Gospel was preached even to the dead.
642. Why does the descent into hell bring the Gospel message to complete fulfilment? (CCC 634) The descent into hell brings the Gospel message to complete fulfilment, because it spreads Christ’s redemptive work to all men of all times and all places.
643. What did Christ’s death and Resurrection do to the Devil? (CCC 635) Christ’s death and Resurrection destroyed the Devil’s power of death.